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Jane Carver #1
Jane Carver of Waar
Jane Carver is nobody's idea of a space princess.
A hard-ridin', hard-lovin' biker chick and ex-Airborne Ranger, Jane is as surprised as anyone else when, on the run from the law, she ducks into the wrong cave at the wrong time-and wakes up butt-naked on an exotic alien planet light-years away from everything she's ever known.
Waar is a savage world of four-armed tiger-men, sky-pirates, slaves, gladiators, and purple-skinned warriors in thrall to a bloodthirsty code of honor and chivalry. Caught up in a disgraced nobleman's quest to win back the hand of a sexy alien princess, Jane encounters bizarre wonders and dangers unlike anything she ever ran into back home.
Then again, Waar has never seen anyone like Jane before…
Both a loving tribute and scathing parody of the swashbuckling space fantasies of yore, Jane Carver of Waar introduces an unforgettable new science fiction heroine.
A hard-ridin', hard-lovin' biker chick and ex-Airborne Ranger, Jane is as surprised as anyone else when, on the run from the law, she ducks into the wrong cave at the wrong time-and wakes up butt-naked on an exotic alien planet light-years away from everything she's ever known.
Waar is a savage world of four-armed tiger-men, sky-pirates, slaves, gladiators, and purple-skinned warriors in thrall to a bloodthirsty code of honor and chivalry. Caught up in a disgraced nobleman's quest to win back the hand of a sexy alien princess, Jane encounters bizarre wonders and dangers unlike anything she ever ran into back home.
Then again, Waar has never seen anyone like Jane before…
Both a loving tribute and scathing parody of the swashbuckling space fantasies of yore, Jane Carver of Waar introduces an unforgettable new science fiction heroine.
Audible Audio
First published March 1, 2012
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539 people want to read
About the author
Nathan Long
60 books164 followersNathan Long is a screen and prose writer, with two movies, one Saturday-morning adventure series, and a handful of live-action and animated TV episodes to his name, as well as eleven fantasy novels and several award-winning short stories.
He hails from Pennsylvania, where he grew up, went to school, and played in various punk and rock-a-billy bands, before following his writing dreams to Hollywood - where he now writes novels full time - and still occasionally plays in bands.
His latest novel is Jane Carver of Waar, available March 6th from Night Shade Books. Visit his blog at www.sabrepunk.com.
He hails from Pennsylvania, where he grew up, went to school, and played in various punk and rock-a-billy bands, before following his writing dreams to Hollywood - where he now writes novels full time - and still occasionally plays in bands.
His latest novel is Jane Carver of Waar, available March 6th from Night Shade Books. Visit his blog at www.sabrepunk.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
June 15, 2015
There are two groups of readers for this book: those who have read Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, and those who haven't.
If you haven't... then you may or may not like this book, depending on your tolerance for old-school sci-fi adventure tales. Because Jane Carver of Waar is not even a little bit subtle about the material it's imitating: it's quintessential "high concept" science fiction, that concept being: what if John Carter was a chick? And of course, if you have no familiarity with the Confederate-gentleman-turned-warlord-of-Mars, then Jane Carver has to stand on her own and you're not going to get a lot of the jokes. That said, it's fun and fast-paced and Jane is kind of awesome in a ridiculous pulp fiction way, but you're only going to love it if you can get into planetary romances with swashbuckling sky pirates and alien hotties wearing nothing but jewel-encrusted dental floss.
There is, however, a modern sensibility to this novel: Jane gets to team up with a couple of mostly-naked princes — to her immense gratification, Waarian men wear as little as the women. And Jane is an unabashedly lusty lass (and for all that, it takes her quite a while to get some).
If you have read the Barsoom books — well, then, this book is a treat. There's always a risk in reading something that is a parody/"tribute" to a classic work: either it will be too earnest and just read like a cheap knock-off, or it will be too acerbic in its satire, or even mocking, as if to make readers who love the original, however cheesy it may be, feel like saps. (Lev Grossman's The Magicians is one of the biggest offenders in that regard.)
Jane Carver of Waar is a shameless imitation, but it's a loving one. Jane, an ex-Airborne Ranger biker chick, gets popped off to "Waar" through a magic cave in just the same way John Carter went to Mars, and the adventures that follow are pretty much a mirror of those of everyone's favorite Virginian. The "Orans" are purple instead of red, and instead of initially being captured by green-skinned Tharks, Jane is captured by tiger-centaur Aarurrhs. Exactly like John Carter, Jane finds that Waar's lower gravity gives her superhuman strength and the ability to leap great distances.
There are some divergences because of Jane's sex. She doesn't have a princess to rescue: instead, she befriends a hapless Oran prince named Sai, whose beloved Wen-Jhai was bride-napped by another Oran noble. Sai is honor-bound to meet the dastard's challenge and steal his fiancee back; the only problem is, the other guy is one of the greatest swordsmen on the planet, and Sai is, well, kind of a wimp. And a coward. They make a cute couple, and when Sai's best friend, Lan, joins in the fun, the three of them go from one adventure and narrow escape to another in pursuit of Wen-Jhai.
Jane, being a woman, notices all the sexism that John Carter didn't see fit to comment on in his own adventure, and has great fun shocking and scandalizing everyone from the Orans to the Aarurrh. She's a crude, brazen Valkyrie, but she also gets her butt kicked fairly regularly. Her adventures are perfectly in keeping with the Edgar Rice Burroughs tradition, but told with a 21st century viewpoint.
Edgar Rice Burroughs fans can read this book without fear that it's making fun of our beloved John Carter. It's almost a worthy "sequel" to the Barsoom series. If you haven't read the originals, though, you may well find this book fun, but I'd really recommend reading A Princess of Mars first so you'll catch all the references and winks.
If you haven't... then you may or may not like this book, depending on your tolerance for old-school sci-fi adventure tales. Because Jane Carver of Waar is not even a little bit subtle about the material it's imitating: it's quintessential "high concept" science fiction, that concept being: what if John Carter was a chick? And of course, if you have no familiarity with the Confederate-gentleman-turned-warlord-of-Mars, then Jane Carver has to stand on her own and you're not going to get a lot of the jokes. That said, it's fun and fast-paced and Jane is kind of awesome in a ridiculous pulp fiction way, but you're only going to love it if you can get into planetary romances with swashbuckling sky pirates and alien hotties wearing nothing but jewel-encrusted dental floss.
There is, however, a modern sensibility to this novel: Jane gets to team up with a couple of mostly-naked princes — to her immense gratification, Waarian men wear as little as the women. And Jane is an unabashedly lusty lass (and for all that, it takes her quite a while to get some).
If you have read the Barsoom books — well, then, this book is a treat. There's always a risk in reading something that is a parody/"tribute" to a classic work: either it will be too earnest and just read like a cheap knock-off, or it will be too acerbic in its satire, or even mocking, as if to make readers who love the original, however cheesy it may be, feel like saps. (Lev Grossman's The Magicians is one of the biggest offenders in that regard.)
Jane Carver of Waar is a shameless imitation, but it's a loving one. Jane, an ex-Airborne Ranger biker chick, gets popped off to "Waar" through a magic cave in just the same way John Carter went to Mars, and the adventures that follow are pretty much a mirror of those of everyone's favorite Virginian. The "Orans" are purple instead of red, and instead of initially being captured by green-skinned Tharks, Jane is captured by tiger-centaur Aarurrhs. Exactly like John Carter, Jane finds that Waar's lower gravity gives her superhuman strength and the ability to leap great distances.
There are some divergences because of Jane's sex. She doesn't have a princess to rescue: instead, she befriends a hapless Oran prince named Sai, whose beloved Wen-Jhai was bride-napped by another Oran noble. Sai is honor-bound to meet the dastard's challenge and steal his fiancee back; the only problem is, the other guy is one of the greatest swordsmen on the planet, and Sai is, well, kind of a wimp. And a coward. They make a cute couple, and when Sai's best friend, Lan, joins in the fun, the three of them go from one adventure and narrow escape to another in pursuit of Wen-Jhai.
Jane, being a woman, notices all the sexism that John Carter didn't see fit to comment on in his own adventure, and has great fun shocking and scandalizing everyone from the Orans to the Aarurrh. She's a crude, brazen Valkyrie, but she also gets her butt kicked fairly regularly. Her adventures are perfectly in keeping with the Edgar Rice Burroughs tradition, but told with a 21st century viewpoint.
Edgar Rice Burroughs fans can read this book without fear that it's making fun of our beloved John Carter. It's almost a worthy "sequel" to the Barsoom series. If you haven't read the originals, though, you may well find this book fun, but I'd really recommend reading A Princess of Mars first so you'll catch all the references and winks.
December 8, 2018
In many ways this book could almost get a 5 star rating from me. There are just a few sour notes.
What is it/are they? The author's views pop out now and then at annoying times giving Jane a discordant "self-righteous" sound that is at odds with the character. Too bad about that. My take of course and some might not even notice what annoyed me.
Other than that what we have here is a fun action read. Take the "general idea" and plot of ERB's Mars/Barsoom/John Carter. Replace John Carter with a big, buff, BA redheaded biker chick, revamp the races and creatures of Barsoom, call the world Waar and you've a rip-roaring, page turner of a proverbial thrill ride. This book is another of the "brain candy" genre that is a highly rewarding way to burn a few hours. Good for adventure, good for laughs...a little on the crude side language wise with some gratuitous sex (but not as much as I expected), this is a fun read.
Jane is not long out of stir and she accidentally does something that will give her hard time...and lots of it. On the run she goes into a cave (John Carteresk) and finds herself swept away to land naked on a "strange world". From there she confronts social problems as well as physical danger and she does it with humor...and violence.
I must admit to some laugh out loud moments here. I love Jane's similes and metaphors ("he was as scary as a three year old with a butcher knife"). Lots of good turns of phrase, lots of good plot twists. Funny without becoming parody. I plan to read the next.
Recommended with the caveat that there's a lot of rough language, crude situations and attitudes. All that said I've known Jane or at least people like her and generally there's honesty and a certain openness below that roughness...though some of their friends will kill you for breathing wrong. Know your people.
As I said, recommended. Enjoy.
What is it/are they? The author's views pop out now and then at annoying times giving Jane a discordant "self-righteous" sound that is at odds with the character. Too bad about that. My take of course and some might not even notice what annoyed me.
Other than that what we have here is a fun action read. Take the "general idea" and plot of ERB's Mars/Barsoom/John Carter. Replace John Carter with a big, buff, BA redheaded biker chick, revamp the races and creatures of Barsoom, call the world Waar and you've a rip-roaring, page turner of a proverbial thrill ride. This book is another of the "brain candy" genre that is a highly rewarding way to burn a few hours. Good for adventure, good for laughs...a little on the crude side language wise with some gratuitous sex (but not as much as I expected), this is a fun read.
Jane is not long out of stir and she accidentally does something that will give her hard time...and lots of it. On the run she goes into a cave (John Carteresk) and finds herself swept away to land naked on a "strange world". From there she confronts social problems as well as physical danger and she does it with humor...and violence.
I must admit to some laugh out loud moments here. I love Jane's similes and metaphors ("he was as scary as a three year old with a butcher knife"). Lots of good turns of phrase, lots of good plot twists. Funny without becoming parody. I plan to read the next.
Recommended with the caveat that there's a lot of rough language, crude situations and attitudes. All that said I've known Jane or at least people like her and generally there's honesty and a certain openness below that roughness...though some of their friends will kill you for breathing wrong. Know your people.
As I said, recommended. Enjoy.
November 14, 2018
There's a dark underbelly to the Barsoom novels and inheritors. Their high honor and romance and focus on essentially upper-class matters--the warriors and princesses--hide the stratified and ossified society behind all this. And stratified societies, especially feudal ones, rest all their weight on the lowest members. Stripped of John Carter's class blindness, you see the ugliness behind the high drama and matters of honor and courtly romance.
The gender inversion of replacing John Carter with Jane Carver has effects that percolate through the story. She's big and odd-colored and can throw a man through a wall, but this doesn't protect her. She is a woman and an outsider in a completely sexist and classist society whose machinery is the domination and abuse of its lesser members. She's still vulnerable, still a person that an upper-class twit would feel within his privilege to assault as desired, or for others to loathe or disparage. John Carter rose in society despite or because of his differences, but Jane Carver would be best served by leaving it and joining the pirates.
The gender inversion of replacing John Carter with Jane Carver has effects that percolate through the story. She's big and odd-colored and can throw a man through a wall, but this doesn't protect her. She is a woman and an outsider in a completely sexist and classist society whose machinery is the domination and abuse of its lesser members. She's still vulnerable, still a person that an upper-class twit would feel within his privilege to assault as desired, or for others to loathe or disparage. John Carter rose in society despite or because of his differences, but Jane Carver would be best served by leaving it and joining the pirates.
October 28, 2012
I got this book on my nook during a free-book-friday special and I have to say, if I knew I would like it so much I would have paid money for it. As is, I totally plan to get the next one coming out this November. I have read alot of reviews that comment on how it is just a gender reversed John Carter and a rip-off or parody but really it is soooo much more than that. I will refrain from comparing the similarities of the two book series and instead just say that if you like a good tough gal story with more than a few crotch jokes and a non-stop action feel, this is the book for you. Jane is not a damsel nor is she exactly a feminist icon but she is strong, independent, a little horny, and more than a little prone to punching first (or crushing balls) and rarely asking questions later. It is what it is and if you can get over the pedigree of the material I think you will find it is a pretty good yarn so get over it and just give it a read.
May 8, 2013
I so wanted to like this book. A saucy redhead, ex-Army Ranger, self-described biker bitch gets transported to a strange new world where she runs around clad in a chain mail bikini and gets to kick some serious ass. What's not to love? Seriously?
Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love it, I only kind of liked it. It was good, enjoyable, and, at times, funny. Ultimately, however, it wasn't memorable. If you are looking for a good, fun book to read at the beach it will fit the bill. If you are looking for "great" fiction you may want to look elsewhere.
Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love it, I only kind of liked it. It was good, enjoyable, and, at times, funny. Ultimately, however, it wasn't memorable. If you are looking for a good, fun book to read at the beach it will fit the bill. If you are looking for "great" fiction you may want to look elsewhere.
May 17, 2013
IN A NUTSHELL: I tend to judge books based on how they make me feel and I had a GREAT time listening to this audio book. Jane Carver is a tall red-haired muscled bad ass biker chick with a potty mouth, a brave/impulsive heart and I have a crush on her. The world-building was solid, the story and plot exciting and easy to follow with descriptions vivid enough that I had no problems picturing the planet WAAR and all of it's inhabitants. Did I mention how funny it was?
SUMMARY: Jane rebuffs this drunk asshole at the bar and when she leaves he follows her. He gropes her while she's trying to get on her bike. She sees red and punches out at him. He stumbles, so instead of hitting his face she punches him in the neck, HARD..and he dies. Witnesses catch the tale end of it and think she just killed him. She takes off, with the cops chasing her and ends up running into a cave to escape. She ends up traveling to another planet/world after touching a glowing stone she saw in the cave.
Her adventure is epic and HILARIOUS as she tries to help the first creature she found. He's a prince. He's human except for his purple skin, but there are other not so human creatures around. Danger around every corner; mostly because this spoiled Prince she's trying to help has a sense of honor that belies common sense and the princess she's trying to help him save is a nitwit as well. The first of which is them being captures and enslaved by tiger-like creatures.
So much happened that I felt like I should be taking notes, but I don't want to spoil anything.
This book is a parody based on Edgar Rice Burrough's "A Princess of Mars", which I haven't read and is supposed to be a classic. I'll read that after I finish the 2nd book of Jane's adventures.
SUMMARY: Jane rebuffs this drunk asshole at the bar and when she leaves he follows her. He gropes her while she's trying to get on her bike. She sees red and punches out at him. He stumbles, so instead of hitting his face she punches him in the neck, HARD..and he dies. Witnesses catch the tale end of it and think she just killed him. She takes off, with the cops chasing her and ends up running into a cave to escape. She ends up traveling to another planet/world after touching a glowing stone she saw in the cave.
Her adventure is epic and HILARIOUS as she tries to help the first creature she found. He's a prince. He's human except for his purple skin, but there are other not so human creatures around. Danger around every corner; mostly because this spoiled Prince she's trying to help has a sense of honor that belies common sense and the princess she's trying to help him save is a nitwit as well. The first of which is them being captures and enslaved by tiger-like creatures.
So much happened that I felt like I should be taking notes, but I don't want to spoil anything.
This book is a parody based on Edgar Rice Burrough's "A Princess of Mars", which I haven't read and is supposed to be a classic. I'll read that after I finish the 2nd book of Jane's adventures.
January 25, 2021
2.5; Don't have expectations for this to be some "life-changing" read. It gave a few chuckles and was amusing/entertaining for what it was. It was a pretty garbage novel about a ridiculous space war (on planet Waar) with a bunch of sex-addict aliens who apparently only own loin cloths. The main character is a muscly biker-chic from Earth....I mean...2.5 is generous lol. It was a comical break from the serious vibes I've been reading lately
June 17, 2013
Really a 3.5 star rating, but I couldn't honestly rate it as 4.
This pastiche of the Burroughs Barsoom stories is quite clever, but I'm not sure that anyone who has NOT read any John Carter stories will find it to be as amusing. Substituting a female biker and ex-soldier for the John Carter character takes the story in fun directions, but one of the problems is that by making her so competent in exactly the same areas as John Carter, the author missed the chance to distinguish her more. In some scenes, the only thing setting her apart is that she is crass and vulgar compared to John Carter, who was at heart a gentleman as well as a warrior.
There were some genuinely moving moments in the story, but one of them is diffused by the statements early in the book which make the reader question Jane's self-image. Also, she describes herself as an ex-soldier who has had special forces training, but somehow apparently never went on missions where she had to kill anyone, or even think about it, which came across as odd.
Still, after reading this book, I do want to track down his other works and see if I like them.
This pastiche of the Burroughs Barsoom stories is quite clever, but I'm not sure that anyone who has NOT read any John Carter stories will find it to be as amusing. Substituting a female biker and ex-soldier for the John Carter character takes the story in fun directions, but one of the problems is that by making her so competent in exactly the same areas as John Carter, the author missed the chance to distinguish her more. In some scenes, the only thing setting her apart is that she is crass and vulgar compared to John Carter, who was at heart a gentleman as well as a warrior.
There were some genuinely moving moments in the story, but one of them is diffused by the statements early in the book which make the reader question Jane's self-image. Also, she describes herself as an ex-soldier who has had special forces training, but somehow apparently never went on missions where she had to kill anyone, or even think about it, which came across as odd.
Still, after reading this book, I do want to track down his other works and see if I like them.
August 13, 2025
From the book jacket this sounded like a winner. A retelling of John Carter of Mars with a female lead, sort of like Red Sonja on Mars. Unfortunately, for me, the anachronisms to bring this into the modern age were a total disaster. Riding a giant bird while missing her Harley and wishing for a Marlboro and cold beer didn't work for me.
Some of that action sequences were okay, and I did finish it so the book scrapes out of a zero or one star rating. Real fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs should avoid this.
Some of that action sequences were okay, and I did finish it so the book scrapes out of a zero or one star rating. Real fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs should avoid this.
April 7, 2015
Fun, from cover to cover, pretty much sums this book up. "Jane Carver of Waar" was a sci-fi adventure, wrapped up in a fantasy adventure and covered with a thick, juicy layer of Wild West adventure with a cherry on top. That's three different types of adventure for the price of just one book. Where I come from we call that a pretty good deal.
Jane's a big, strapping, ass-kicking red head who's mystically transported to a different planet or dimension. She's barely figured out how to walk without falling when she jumps into her first frying pan. The remainder of the book is spent going from frying pan to fire, back to frying pan, over to other fires, frying pans and the occassional broiler. Much of the time the fires she's getting herself into are because she's trying to keep her friends, a namby-pamby high-faluting local aristocrat who's mooning over his kidnapped love, and his friend, another aristo type, who's also high-faluting but not nearly as namby-pamby.
The chapter titles have great names like, "Deathmatch!", "Pirates!", "Betrayed!", "Lockdown!" and such. Each title just whets the appetite for the fun awaiting you in each chapter. Yes, it's fun. Really.
I would have liked to have learned a little more about her background--how did she get to be a Ranger, for example, would have been interesting to know, but hey, I haven't gotten too far in the second book yet, and I hope to hell the author is working on book 3.
I've never really known a biker chick (or biker guy for that matter) who lives the biker lifestyle as does Jane. I know guys with bikes, but they're your middle-aged guys who are afraid of getting old types. I saw the Wild Ones with Marlon Brando and I've watched a couple of episodes of Sons of Anarchy, so I pretty much know zilch on the biker lifestyle. That being said, I can't imagine anyone, biker or non-biker, who uses colorful metaphors, similies and idioms to the extent that Jane does: "...had a funk like a week-old dead cat", "There was no way out unless I could fly over the walls like goddamn Peter Pan" and, one I still haven't figured out, "These guys had all the class and sophistication of rubes at an Arkansas cooch show." It might be a minor quibble that in his enthusiasm to make Jane colorful, the author went over the top with some of it (After all, who the hell says "rubes" nowadays, but that was all part of the fun. In reality, it's a minor quibble that's actually not even a quibble at all. Forget I said it!
I'm done here, and in the words of Jane, "Come on Sai, let's skeddadle."
Jane's a big, strapping, ass-kicking red head who's mystically transported to a different planet or dimension. She's barely figured out how to walk without falling when she jumps into her first frying pan. The remainder of the book is spent going from frying pan to fire, back to frying pan, over to other fires, frying pans and the occassional broiler. Much of the time the fires she's getting herself into are because she's trying to keep her friends, a namby-pamby high-faluting local aristocrat who's mooning over his kidnapped love, and his friend, another aristo type, who's also high-faluting but not nearly as namby-pamby.
The chapter titles have great names like, "Deathmatch!", "Pirates!", "Betrayed!", "Lockdown!" and such. Each title just whets the appetite for the fun awaiting you in each chapter. Yes, it's fun. Really.
I would have liked to have learned a little more about her background--how did she get to be a Ranger, for example, would have been interesting to know, but hey, I haven't gotten too far in the second book yet, and I hope to hell the author is working on book 3.
I've never really known a biker chick (or biker guy for that matter) who lives the biker lifestyle as does Jane. I know guys with bikes, but they're your middle-aged guys who are afraid of getting old types. I saw the Wild Ones with Marlon Brando and I've watched a couple of episodes of Sons of Anarchy, so I pretty much know zilch on the biker lifestyle. That being said, I can't imagine anyone, biker or non-biker, who uses colorful metaphors, similies and idioms to the extent that Jane does: "...had a funk like a week-old dead cat", "There was no way out unless I could fly over the walls like goddamn Peter Pan" and, one I still haven't figured out, "These guys had all the class and sophistication of rubes at an Arkansas cooch show." It might be a minor quibble that in his enthusiasm to make Jane colorful, the author went over the top with some of it (After all, who the hell says "rubes" nowadays, but that was all part of the fun. In reality, it's a minor quibble that's actually not even a quibble at all. Forget I said it!
I'm done here, and in the words of Jane, "Come on Sai, let's skeddadle."
February 10, 2017
I pretty much ignored Edgar Rice Burroughs' series of Martian adventure books. They struck me as mere swashbuckling fantasy, not science fiction, and I was a bit of a snob about science fiction. I guess I still am, but boy, was Jane Carver of Waar a fun read!
Which, I guess, means one doesn't have to have a grounding in Burroughs' John Carter books to appreciate what Nathan Long is doing with Jane Carver. She's a gas, very like some biker chicks I know in real life, and I'd want her on my side in a Hells Angels bar.
If you're ready for a break from serious reading but don't want your intelligence insulted, you could do worse. And who knows, a little fun reading might help you keep your sanity in the Trump era.
Which, I guess, means one doesn't have to have a grounding in Burroughs' John Carter books to appreciate what Nathan Long is doing with Jane Carver. She's a gas, very like some biker chicks I know in real life, and I'd want her on my side in a Hells Angels bar.
If you're ready for a break from serious reading but don't want your intelligence insulted, you could do worse. And who knows, a little fun reading might help you keep your sanity in the Trump era.
August 8, 2019
Biker Chicks Fighting Cen-tigers? I’ll pass
Have you ever started watching an original Star Trek episode and said to yourself, “You know what would make this better? If Captain Kirk was a bisexual biker chick on the run?” Yeah me too. But guess what? The reality of that is terrible and the proof is Jane Carver of Waar.
The plot here is pretty simple. Jane Carver is somewhere in California when a rude jerk in a bar hits on her. She gets pissed and throws a punch at him. Unfortunately for her, she’s kind of big and strong and her punch accidentally hits the dude in the throat and kills the guy. Not knowing what else to do, she runs away, ends up in a cave, touches a gem and ends up on an alien planet. Then she has adventures on her way to try to get back home. Other than it being the biker part and a woman, it really does remind me a lot of Star Trek. But you know how that show could be charming sometimes and even have deep political implications on occasion? Yeah, this does not. Like really does not.
Jane wakes up under a weird sky and realizes pretty quick she’s not in California any more. Also, she sees a bunch of dudes killing each other and they have purple skin so that’s probably a second clue. These guys are dressed up Conan the Barbarian style and are using swords so it’s a good bet they don’t have a transporter to get her back home. Jane watches the fight play out and then goes to talk to the loser of the fight, a dude named Sai. She then proceeds to follow him around for the entire book. I guess if you have no other friends stick with who you’ve got?
This book being extremely convenient, Jane is somehow able to talk with these aliens because, magic. This Sai dude has had his true love stolen and he has to get her back. Jane tries to help but they get captured by some Cen-tigers (centaurs but with a tiger bottom) and made to be slaves. Then they get free. Then they find another guy who is Sai’s friend and then they try to wear disguises to get to the place where the wife kidnapper is. Then they get captured. Then they get free. Then they wear disguises to get on a ship. Then they get captured and sold as slaves. Then they get free. Then they wear disguises to go to the place where the wife kidnapper is again. Then they get captured. Then they fight and Sai gets the girl, the book ends and Jane gets transported back home.
If you are thinking that description sounds a lot like lather, rinse, repeat, that’s because it is. Why in the blistering blue blazes they don’t think to do anything but wear a disguise and/or get captured in this whole book is completely beyond me. So that’s the plot for ya. Let me tell you a few things that annoyed me about this book.
1. Jane has a bit of super strength because of the gravitational differences on the planet Waar. She’s able to lift really heavy stuff, take Hulk sized leaps, and is a bit bigger than most of the humanoids on this planet. Conveniently, it fails her when the plot calls for it, and works when the plot calls for it. I know a lot of stories do this kind of thing but it’s super noticeable here.
2. Jane is attracted to every person and Cen-tiger who is nice to her for even a second. She’s always going on in her head about how she wants to get some from pretty much everyone. And this includes people that made her a literal slave. Umm… what? I know Kirk does that in Star Trek but Jane would easily give him a run for his money.
3. There’s a political intrigue side plot that is about as exciting as watching the galactic senate negotiate trade relations in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace
4. Cen-tigers? Come on man, do better. How the hell is it likely that these things evolved? What are the odds that there were tiger creatures that were centaur like?
5. As you can see from the cover of this book, Jane is supposed to look exactly like Red Sonja. Metal bikini and all. Jane spends half her time complaining that she doesn’t have good armor and then when she does get good armor, it’s in the form of a metal bikini. That’s terrible armor!!
6. There’s evidence that people from earth have been here before. There’s a paved road, airships and other items that just seem like they came from our home planet. This is never even close to explained. I suspect you would have to suffer through the rest of the series to find out more. I’ll pass.
7. Let’s try disguising ourselves! Dangit, we’re captured. Let’s try disguising ourselves! Dangit, we’re captured. Let’s try disguising ourselves! Dangit, we’re captured. I think Einstein would define these people as crazy.
8. Jane goes back an forth in her head over and over about whether it is right or wrong to kill a guy, while killing a bunch of guys. She has moral issues about it even though it’s clear at times that the person really deserves it or it was a complete accident. I’m not saying you shouldn’t consider your life choices if you are likely to kill someone but I didn’t really care about Jane’s agonizing over it.
9. Sai was about as boring and stupid of a sidekick you could find anywhere. This dude had zero personality.
10. This whole story is framed around someone finding a recording of Jane telling this story. Yet the person believes this crap, rather than thinking, uh whoever this woman is, she needs to find a psychiatrist stat.
I like fantasy and all, but for me, this just did not live up to a good quality book.
If you liked this review, check out my blog at Slick Dungeon's Dusty Tomes and Terrible Films where I review books that I'd rather not read and review films that no one should see.'
Have you ever started watching an original Star Trek episode and said to yourself, “You know what would make this better? If Captain Kirk was a bisexual biker chick on the run?” Yeah me too. But guess what? The reality of that is terrible and the proof is Jane Carver of Waar.
The plot here is pretty simple. Jane Carver is somewhere in California when a rude jerk in a bar hits on her. She gets pissed and throws a punch at him. Unfortunately for her, she’s kind of big and strong and her punch accidentally hits the dude in the throat and kills the guy. Not knowing what else to do, she runs away, ends up in a cave, touches a gem and ends up on an alien planet. Then she has adventures on her way to try to get back home. Other than it being the biker part and a woman, it really does remind me a lot of Star Trek. But you know how that show could be charming sometimes and even have deep political implications on occasion? Yeah, this does not. Like really does not.
Jane wakes up under a weird sky and realizes pretty quick she’s not in California any more. Also, she sees a bunch of dudes killing each other and they have purple skin so that’s probably a second clue. These guys are dressed up Conan the Barbarian style and are using swords so it’s a good bet they don’t have a transporter to get her back home. Jane watches the fight play out and then goes to talk to the loser of the fight, a dude named Sai. She then proceeds to follow him around for the entire book. I guess if you have no other friends stick with who you’ve got?
This book being extremely convenient, Jane is somehow able to talk with these aliens because, magic. This Sai dude has had his true love stolen and he has to get her back. Jane tries to help but they get captured by some Cen-tigers (centaurs but with a tiger bottom) and made to be slaves. Then they get free. Then they find another guy who is Sai’s friend and then they try to wear disguises to get to the place where the wife kidnapper is. Then they get captured. Then they get free. Then they wear disguises to get on a ship. Then they get captured and sold as slaves. Then they get free. Then they wear disguises to go to the place where the wife kidnapper is again. Then they get captured. Then they fight and Sai gets the girl, the book ends and Jane gets transported back home.
If you are thinking that description sounds a lot like lather, rinse, repeat, that’s because it is. Why in the blistering blue blazes they don’t think to do anything but wear a disguise and/or get captured in this whole book is completely beyond me. So that’s the plot for ya. Let me tell you a few things that annoyed me about this book.
1. Jane has a bit of super strength because of the gravitational differences on the planet Waar. She’s able to lift really heavy stuff, take Hulk sized leaps, and is a bit bigger than most of the humanoids on this planet. Conveniently, it fails her when the plot calls for it, and works when the plot calls for it. I know a lot of stories do this kind of thing but it’s super noticeable here.
2. Jane is attracted to every person and Cen-tiger who is nice to her for even a second. She’s always going on in her head about how she wants to get some from pretty much everyone. And this includes people that made her a literal slave. Umm… what? I know Kirk does that in Star Trek but Jane would easily give him a run for his money.
3. There’s a political intrigue side plot that is about as exciting as watching the galactic senate negotiate trade relations in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace
4. Cen-tigers? Come on man, do better. How the hell is it likely that these things evolved? What are the odds that there were tiger creatures that were centaur like?
5. As you can see from the cover of this book, Jane is supposed to look exactly like Red Sonja. Metal bikini and all. Jane spends half her time complaining that she doesn’t have good armor and then when she does get good armor, it’s in the form of a metal bikini. That’s terrible armor!!
6. There’s evidence that people from earth have been here before. There’s a paved road, airships and other items that just seem like they came from our home planet. This is never even close to explained. I suspect you would have to suffer through the rest of the series to find out more. I’ll pass.
7. Let’s try disguising ourselves! Dangit, we’re captured. Let’s try disguising ourselves! Dangit, we’re captured. Let’s try disguising ourselves! Dangit, we’re captured. I think Einstein would define these people as crazy.
8. Jane goes back an forth in her head over and over about whether it is right or wrong to kill a guy, while killing a bunch of guys. She has moral issues about it even though it’s clear at times that the person really deserves it or it was a complete accident. I’m not saying you shouldn’t consider your life choices if you are likely to kill someone but I didn’t really care about Jane’s agonizing over it.
9. Sai was about as boring and stupid of a sidekick you could find anywhere. This dude had zero personality.
10. This whole story is framed around someone finding a recording of Jane telling this story. Yet the person believes this crap, rather than thinking, uh whoever this woman is, she needs to find a psychiatrist stat.
I like fantasy and all, but for me, this just did not live up to a good quality book.
If you liked this review, check out my blog at Slick Dungeon's Dusty Tomes and Terrible Films where I review books that I'd rather not read and review films that no one should see.'
December 6, 2012
If I could I would give this book two ratings. The first would be on its own (3 stars), and the second would be as a sort of parody to the John Carter stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs (4 stars), which is how I ran across it.
Jane's on the run from the law for a "murder" she didn't mean to commit when she finds herself transported to Waar where her Earthly muscles grant her superhuman strength. Here she teams up with two nobles from Waar to right some wrongs and, hopefully, get herself back home. But one noble is a coward and the other is...not quite what he seems (snicker). The trio bounces from one melodramatic dilemma to another until the somewhat unexpected conclusion.
On its own, this book is average. The tough biker chick/Army ranger persona is different, but it doesn't always work. At times it's funny, and at other times it just seems a little silly. The plot is, truly, melodramatic. So much is over the top that it reads a lot like a 1960s dastardly villain plot. It's fun, but on its own it would just be too long and too much of the same.
As a sarcastic send-up to the fantasy books from the "Golden Age," this book is almost spot-on and is guaranteed to make you laugh. There are so many nods to the thinking of that time and so many winks at John Carter that you can't help but like it. What is missing to make it a 5-star book in that regard is that you lose the feeling that you're on a different planet a lot of the time. Whereas Burroughs always reminded the reader that John Carter was on Mars and things were different, it's sometimes pretty easy to forget that Jane Carver is on Waar and instead picture her on Earth rather easily.
If you like Burroughs (or even love his work), this book will be good. If you are not familiar with any of the John Carter books, Pellucidar books, or Carson of Venus books (to name a few), you might still enjoy this book, but it's not going to become a permanent addition to your bookshelf. And if campy fantasy books are not your style, stay far, far away.
Jane's on the run from the law for a "murder" she didn't mean to commit when she finds herself transported to Waar where her Earthly muscles grant her superhuman strength. Here she teams up with two nobles from Waar to right some wrongs and, hopefully, get herself back home. But one noble is a coward and the other is...not quite what he seems (snicker). The trio bounces from one melodramatic dilemma to another until the somewhat unexpected conclusion.
On its own, this book is average. The tough biker chick/Army ranger persona is different, but it doesn't always work. At times it's funny, and at other times it just seems a little silly. The plot is, truly, melodramatic. So much is over the top that it reads a lot like a 1960s dastardly villain plot. It's fun, but on its own it would just be too long and too much of the same.
As a sarcastic send-up to the fantasy books from the "Golden Age," this book is almost spot-on and is guaranteed to make you laugh. There are so many nods to the thinking of that time and so many winks at John Carter that you can't help but like it. What is missing to make it a 5-star book in that regard is that you lose the feeling that you're on a different planet a lot of the time. Whereas Burroughs always reminded the reader that John Carter was on Mars and things were different, it's sometimes pretty easy to forget that Jane Carver is on Waar and instead picture her on Earth rather easily.
If you like Burroughs (or even love his work), this book will be good. If you are not familiar with any of the John Carter books, Pellucidar books, or Carson of Venus books (to name a few), you might still enjoy this book, but it's not going to become a permanent addition to your bookshelf. And if campy fantasy books are not your style, stay far, far away.
January 8, 2020
If you want entertainment, laughs, adventure...
If you enjoyed, for example, the Princess Bride...
If you enjoy some of the escapades of Thursday Next...
If you feel the po-faced pomposity of the Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia et al could do with a good skewering...
… you'll have a good time in the company of Jane Carver on Waar.
Through the brutal though effective culling of all but that necessary to maintain momentum, cohesion and reader interest, this story takes off like a Harley in the hands of a novice, before being taught some rude manners in the hands of a Sonny Barger.
The bare-bones story-telling at play here is an effective device, as you experience the world through the eyes of a convincingly drawn cast of characters, which makes the evocation of place more vivid, and simultaneously more and less otherworldly.
The eponymous heroine of the tale is our guide and an authentic voice, and while not sympathetic in the traditional sense (thankfully), her in-your-face humanity is plenty sufficient to have you rooting for the right side. The supporting characters all earn their salary, too: providing the necessary colour and contrast to allow us to enthusiastically pursue Jane on her quest.
Though rip-roaring tales of daring-do have been told and re-told countless times, there is a reason for that, and with these characters for company, the slant the author has taken on these themes and the obvious control he has over the telling of this tale, you know from the start you are in safe hands and enthusiastically buckle up and enjoy the ride.
https://tracinghorizons.com/book-revi...
If you enjoyed, for example, the Princess Bride...
If you enjoy some of the escapades of Thursday Next...
If you feel the po-faced pomposity of the Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia et al could do with a good skewering...
… you'll have a good time in the company of Jane Carver on Waar.
Through the brutal though effective culling of all but that necessary to maintain momentum, cohesion and reader interest, this story takes off like a Harley in the hands of a novice, before being taught some rude manners in the hands of a Sonny Barger.
The bare-bones story-telling at play here is an effective device, as you experience the world through the eyes of a convincingly drawn cast of characters, which makes the evocation of place more vivid, and simultaneously more and less otherworldly.
The eponymous heroine of the tale is our guide and an authentic voice, and while not sympathetic in the traditional sense (thankfully), her in-your-face humanity is plenty sufficient to have you rooting for the right side. The supporting characters all earn their salary, too: providing the necessary colour and contrast to allow us to enthusiastically pursue Jane on her quest.
Though rip-roaring tales of daring-do have been told and re-told countless times, there is a reason for that, and with these characters for company, the slant the author has taken on these themes and the obvious control he has over the telling of this tale, you know from the start you are in safe hands and enthusiastically buckle up and enjoy the ride.
https://tracinghorizons.com/book-revi...
December 6, 2012
Give me a brash, snarky, slightly awkward redheaded Amazon woman commenting on a "world full of slaves and gladiators and naked sexists" and I am there.
This is nothing but good, old-fashioned, light-hearted fun. This is an adventure book. There is LOADS of adventure.
There are chases, captures, swashbuckling antics... Even a circus-y type thing.
This is also a fish-out-of-water story, and Jane Carver is pretty obviously that--she towers over the majority of the natives, her coloring is different, and she has strange abilities.
Jane's narration is great, by the way. Sarcastic, detailed, even vulnerable at times. She sets this world before us in her language, and it's a very relatable language.
While Jane Carver meanders now and then into deeper areas (the implications of slavery, sexism, sexuality, political intrigue), it does so superficially. There's no deep-sea diving here--this is wading in the shore.
However, when it DOES delve into these things, it's never jarring or out-of-place. Jane is a refreshingly liberated heroine, and while she inevitably judges the Waarians (Waarites? Waariers?) on their backward ways, she does recognize that there are gray areas that she has to consider and concessions she has to make. This is not to imply, though, that she doesn't have an unshakeable moral center, because she does.
I'm not gonna say this is a literary classic. It's not. It's satirical, pulpy fun. Not your average sci-fi, and all the better for it.
Will definitely read more in the series. God knows it's a welcome break from Christian fucking Grey.
This is nothing but good, old-fashioned, light-hearted fun. This is an adventure book. There is LOADS of adventure.
There are chases, captures, swashbuckling antics... Even a circus-y type thing.
This is also a fish-out-of-water story, and Jane Carver is pretty obviously that--she towers over the majority of the natives, her coloring is different, and she has strange abilities.
Jane's narration is great, by the way. Sarcastic, detailed, even vulnerable at times. She sets this world before us in her language, and it's a very relatable language.
While Jane Carver meanders now and then into deeper areas (the implications of slavery, sexism, sexuality, political intrigue), it does so superficially. There's no deep-sea diving here--this is wading in the shore.
However, when it DOES delve into these things, it's never jarring or out-of-place. Jane is a refreshingly liberated heroine, and while she inevitably judges the Waarians (Waarites? Waariers?) on their backward ways, she does recognize that there are gray areas that she has to consider and concessions she has to make. This is not to imply, though, that she doesn't have an unshakeable moral center, because she does.
I'm not gonna say this is a literary classic. It's not. It's satirical, pulpy fun. Not your average sci-fi, and all the better for it.
Will definitely read more in the series. God knows it's a welcome break from Christian fucking Grey.
December 29, 2012
First and foremost, a very entertaining read. While familiarity with the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs is in no way required, it would certainly add to the fun, in my opinion.
The adventures of the protagonist are in turns bawdy, tawdry, and at times even touching, but the key is in the ever present sense of adventure. The action is fast-paced, and non-stop.
A fun romp through a sword and planet scenario. I'll definitely be reading the sequel.
The adventures of the protagonist are in turns bawdy, tawdry, and at times even touching, but the key is in the ever present sense of adventure. The action is fast-paced, and non-stop.
A fun romp through a sword and planet scenario. I'll definitely be reading the sequel.
August 31, 2016
Based on Burroughs' John Carter series, but the Earthling is a big, tough, foul mouthed biker chick. Entertaining adventures, during which she makes all sorts of comical observations, slaughters attackers right and left, and really takes a beating. Lots of references to sex, but as the acts themselves are all offstage it's raunchy rather than pornographic.
November 2, 2012
I have to admit I really enjoyed this book. I laughed out loud. It was a "free friday" book at B&N and I will definitely read the next one. It was over the top but in a good way.
September 30, 2014
Oh,my. What if John Carter was female? A clever parody on early slash-and-dash science fiction adventures, and I'm sure fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs will catch many more in-jokes than I did.
October 15, 2012
You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/03/...
Shadowhawk reviews Nathan Long’s latest action-adventure novel, Jane Carver of Waar, published by Nightshade Books.
“A thrilling and fast-paced pulp, action-adventure novel, Jane Carver of Waar proves that Nathan Long can write original fiction as awesome as his tie-in fiction.” ~ The Founding Fields
If you’ve read my reviews of Nathan’s Ulrika tie-in novels for Games Workshop’s Warhammer Fantasy setting (here and here) then you’ll know that I am a big fan of Nathan’s work. Even the one Gotrek & Felix novel of his that I’ve previously read, Orcslayer, impressed me quite a bit, and of course, there’s one of my all-time favourites, the Blackhearts Omnibus. I am also currently reading the Gotrek & Felix anthology, and Nathan has two stories in there, the novella Slayer’s Honour and the short story The Two Crowns of Ras Karim. Have only read the first of those so far though, but I loved it. Definitely recommended!
Anyways, as I was saying, I really like Nathan’s work. Part of the appeal is that he writes very engrossing characters that you just HAVE to root for no matter what, his pacing is excellent and he keeps the reader entertained throughout the narrative. In essence, he writes fantastic tie-in fiction and I love his work. For me, he is definitely one of the best writers for Black Library period.
So it was with great excitement that I finally picked up his first foray into original fiction, courtesy of Commissar Ploss who arranged things. Jane Carver of Waar, is a novel that is very much inspired by Edgar Rice Burrough’s excellent John Carter novels, with the big difference being that the protagonist is a former Airborne Ranger and now biker chick rather than a former Confederate cavalryman. And the action doesn’t take place on our next-door neighbour, the Red Planet, but rather than a world far, far away, Waar.
Verdict: If Jane Carver doesn’t win an award or two this year, I’ll be sorely disappointed. The reason being that it is bloody brilliant!
It is all quite simple really. One of the absolute best novels I’ve read so far this year, and just like ever, is Rob Sanders’ seminal Warhammer 40,000 novel Legion of the Damned. Similar to that, Jane Carver just breathes excellence from page to page throughout the course of the narrative and once it takes a hold of you in the very first few pages, it refuses to let you go. Not that you want to put it down you know. Its just one of those novels that you’ll just naturally want to burn through, turning page after page to read what is going to happen next. I finished the novel in two long sittings myself.
Its quite rare to read a novel like that. Some novels do this naturally. With some others you have to kinda force yourself to get through. The former always end up being great novels in the end while with the latter it is more hit and miss but fortunately, I have had far more hits than misses. Jane Carver falls in the former category.
The charm of Nathan’s work is that it is itself written very naturally. Events flow from one to the other smoothly and without hiccups. The characters all talk as they should, especially Jane herself who often swears like a sailor, leaving her new companions confounded a lot of the time. This is trademark Nathan Long style. His novels all have this quality of being easy reads because his prose is always so simple and direct, yet punchy.
The pacing is also excellent. There are highs and there are lows, with the narrative progressing at its own pace that is dictated naturally by the characters and the events around them. I never got the feeling while reading the novel that events were being forced or that there was any kind of improper impatience in the characters to get from A to B while taking detours through C, D, and E. If anything, the pacing hearkens back to how Nathan wrote the Blackhearts Omnibus, where the characters got ample time to grow and develop
Speaking of characters, Jane is a character that I can totally fall in love with. She is sexy, spunky, original, tough-as-nails, adapts quickly to changing events, doesn’t take crap from anybody (at least not without a good reason), swears a lot and can dish out far more than she gets. In fact, for me she is a perfect heroine. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I didn’t have a crush on her either. She just inspire that. She reminds me a lot of Rachel from the Animorphs novels by Katherine A. Applegate (a series of short YA novels). Rachel is a teenager compared to Jane but they have a lot of things in similar, one of those being that they are both tough chicks in a highly dangerous and misogynistic world and they don’t let people talk down to them.
All things considered, Jane has totally skyrocketed up the list to become my favourite female science-fiction character ever.
The others, Sai-Far, Lhan-Lar , Wen-Jhai and all the rest are also very endearing, particularly the first three. They all show a fair amount of character growth throughout the course of the narrative and as the closest companions to Jane herself, they also are the perfect window for her to look in at the cultures and societies on Waar. As the one who has to go through a literal trial-by-combat to win back his stolen love, Wen-Jhai, Sai is a character that I connected with instantly. He is almost always the underdog in the narrative but there is a quiet, unassuming strength to him that is very appealing. I can’t say the same for Lhan, who took some getting used to, but I consider him to be a fairly original character. His only motivation throughout is to help his friends no matter what, and that’s really all there is to him. He is one of those characters who walk in the shadow of others but still shine brightly. Wen-Jhai is I think one of the most excellent female side-characters ever. As a sort-of jilted lover, she definitely doesn’t beat the bush when it comes to showing her disapproval and she is quite spunky herself. Far more than Jane herself even I’d say, based on certain scenes. If Jane had been any less dominant as the protagonist of the novel, Wen-Jhai would certainly have outshone her.
It speaks of Nathan’s great skills with characterisation that his main characters are all strong ones in their motivations and all. Coming off the Ulrika novels and the Blackhearts Omnibus, this was always one of my expectations and Nathan met those expectations true to form.
One of the other charms of the novel is that it has a strong adult theme throughout. The Oran society on Waar is quite an open society in that regard, very reminiscent of Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts’ Empire novels featuring the Empire of Tsuranuanni. Quite a mouthful I know. if you think about it, it is sort of a cliche when showing exotic, alien cultures in SF/F settings, but Nathan carries it all along very well. This is part of what makes the novel enjoyable because Jane is always complaining about it in one form or another and is the source of no small amount of frustrations for her. This little detail is also quite relevant to the narrative itself as an important sub-plot involving Jane and her two companions – Sai and Lhan, two natives of Waar who belong to the Oran society, the dominant culture on the planet.
http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/03/...
Shadowhawk reviews Nathan Long’s latest action-adventure novel, Jane Carver of Waar, published by Nightshade Books.
“A thrilling and fast-paced pulp, action-adventure novel, Jane Carver of Waar proves that Nathan Long can write original fiction as awesome as his tie-in fiction.” ~ The Founding Fields
If you’ve read my reviews of Nathan’s Ulrika tie-in novels for Games Workshop’s Warhammer Fantasy setting (here and here) then you’ll know that I am a big fan of Nathan’s work. Even the one Gotrek & Felix novel of his that I’ve previously read, Orcslayer, impressed me quite a bit, and of course, there’s one of my all-time favourites, the Blackhearts Omnibus. I am also currently reading the Gotrek & Felix anthology, and Nathan has two stories in there, the novella Slayer’s Honour and the short story The Two Crowns of Ras Karim. Have only read the first of those so far though, but I loved it. Definitely recommended!
Anyways, as I was saying, I really like Nathan’s work. Part of the appeal is that he writes very engrossing characters that you just HAVE to root for no matter what, his pacing is excellent and he keeps the reader entertained throughout the narrative. In essence, he writes fantastic tie-in fiction and I love his work. For me, he is definitely one of the best writers for Black Library period.
So it was with great excitement that I finally picked up his first foray into original fiction, courtesy of Commissar Ploss who arranged things. Jane Carver of Waar, is a novel that is very much inspired by Edgar Rice Burrough’s excellent John Carter novels, with the big difference being that the protagonist is a former Airborne Ranger and now biker chick rather than a former Confederate cavalryman. And the action doesn’t take place on our next-door neighbour, the Red Planet, but rather than a world far, far away, Waar.
Verdict: If Jane Carver doesn’t win an award or two this year, I’ll be sorely disappointed. The reason being that it is bloody brilliant!
It is all quite simple really. One of the absolute best novels I’ve read so far this year, and just like ever, is Rob Sanders’ seminal Warhammer 40,000 novel Legion of the Damned. Similar to that, Jane Carver just breathes excellence from page to page throughout the course of the narrative and once it takes a hold of you in the very first few pages, it refuses to let you go. Not that you want to put it down you know. Its just one of those novels that you’ll just naturally want to burn through, turning page after page to read what is going to happen next. I finished the novel in two long sittings myself.
Its quite rare to read a novel like that. Some novels do this naturally. With some others you have to kinda force yourself to get through. The former always end up being great novels in the end while with the latter it is more hit and miss but fortunately, I have had far more hits than misses. Jane Carver falls in the former category.
The charm of Nathan’s work is that it is itself written very naturally. Events flow from one to the other smoothly and without hiccups. The characters all talk as they should, especially Jane herself who often swears like a sailor, leaving her new companions confounded a lot of the time. This is trademark Nathan Long style. His novels all have this quality of being easy reads because his prose is always so simple and direct, yet punchy.
The pacing is also excellent. There are highs and there are lows, with the narrative progressing at its own pace that is dictated naturally by the characters and the events around them. I never got the feeling while reading the novel that events were being forced or that there was any kind of improper impatience in the characters to get from A to B while taking detours through C, D, and E. If anything, the pacing hearkens back to how Nathan wrote the Blackhearts Omnibus, where the characters got ample time to grow and develop
Speaking of characters, Jane is a character that I can totally fall in love with. She is sexy, spunky, original, tough-as-nails, adapts quickly to changing events, doesn’t take crap from anybody (at least not without a good reason), swears a lot and can dish out far more than she gets. In fact, for me she is a perfect heroine. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I didn’t have a crush on her either. She just inspire that. She reminds me a lot of Rachel from the Animorphs novels by Katherine A. Applegate (a series of short YA novels). Rachel is a teenager compared to Jane but they have a lot of things in similar, one of those being that they are both tough chicks in a highly dangerous and misogynistic world and they don’t let people talk down to them.
All things considered, Jane has totally skyrocketed up the list to become my favourite female science-fiction character ever.
The others, Sai-Far, Lhan-Lar , Wen-Jhai and all the rest are also very endearing, particularly the first three. They all show a fair amount of character growth throughout the course of the narrative and as the closest companions to Jane herself, they also are the perfect window for her to look in at the cultures and societies on Waar. As the one who has to go through a literal trial-by-combat to win back his stolen love, Wen-Jhai, Sai is a character that I connected with instantly. He is almost always the underdog in the narrative but there is a quiet, unassuming strength to him that is very appealing. I can’t say the same for Lhan, who took some getting used to, but I consider him to be a fairly original character. His only motivation throughout is to help his friends no matter what, and that’s really all there is to him. He is one of those characters who walk in the shadow of others but still shine brightly. Wen-Jhai is I think one of the most excellent female side-characters ever. As a sort-of jilted lover, she definitely doesn’t beat the bush when it comes to showing her disapproval and she is quite spunky herself. Far more than Jane herself even I’d say, based on certain scenes. If Jane had been any less dominant as the protagonist of the novel, Wen-Jhai would certainly have outshone her.
It speaks of Nathan’s great skills with characterisation that his main characters are all strong ones in their motivations and all. Coming off the Ulrika novels and the Blackhearts Omnibus, this was always one of my expectations and Nathan met those expectations true to form.
One of the other charms of the novel is that it has a strong adult theme throughout. The Oran society on Waar is quite an open society in that regard, very reminiscent of Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts’ Empire novels featuring the Empire of Tsuranuanni. Quite a mouthful I know. if you think about it, it is sort of a cliche when showing exotic, alien cultures in SF/F settings, but Nathan carries it all along very well. This is part of what makes the novel enjoyable because Jane is always complaining about it in one form or another and is the source of no small amount of frustrations for her. This little detail is also quite relevant to the narrative itself as an important sub-plot involving Jane and her two companions – Sai and Lhan, two natives of Waar who belong to the Oran society, the dominant culture on the planet.
October 11, 2024
I decided to read this book because I loved the Gotrek and Felix Warhammer novels Nathan Long has written, my favourite being Elfslayer. This is his first full length original novel. He's clearly a fan of classic swords and sorcery novels, he's cited Elric of Melniboné, The grey Mouser and John Carter of Mars which this book is an obvious take on. It has interesting characters, a little crass at times, good plot with lots of action and adventure with some world building but it was a bit predictable in the end. The scenes are evocative and play out like a film in your head whilst reading them maby due to Nathan Long's experience as a screen writer? I noticed a few characters in this book seem to be re hashes of previous characters he has used. Long appears to favour certain tropes in his writing, nothing wrong with that in itself but they tend to follow the same character development and themes. Sometimes the book could be make you cringe a little because of the coarse language and a few scenes suggest some kinks the writer may possess?
Overall I would say it's worth a read, it's not going to go on a list of the greatest swords and sorcery books of all time but the novel is a fun read with descriptive scenes, fast paced action and a satisfying ending.
Overall I would say it's worth a read, it's not going to go on a list of the greatest swords and sorcery books of all time but the novel is a fun read with descriptive scenes, fast paced action and a satisfying ending.
October 31, 2012
I got an advance copy of the second book because it sounded interesting, having no idea that Jane Carver series was a pastiche of John Carter of Mars books. So I went and bought the first book, and while reading the reviews I found out what it was. It gave me a moment's pause, because I've never actually read the first book in the John Carter series. I've read three books down the line a long time ago and in Russian too, but they just didn't stick with me as much as Tarzan did.
The only experience I have with John Carter is through the movie and whatever discussions I hear, so you could say I barely know anything about him. Yet I absolutely enjoyed Jane Carver! From the moment I started reading it, I couldn't put it down and stop. I loved Jane because of her no nonsense outlook on life and great one liners. Actually, she was just really really entertaining throughout the whole book, not slowing down even a moment. Even when her future was bleak, she was still very entertaining.
I didn't mind her language either. To me it just fit right in with the rest of her personality, so it didn't seem out of place. I do have a 'but' though. In the middle of the book it just got a tad too vulgar for my tastes. It wasn't so much the language, which is part of it, but more like that part could have been probably toned down a little? Because at that moment, the book went from a fun light fantasy to something that was just too much fixated on sex. Yes, sexual tension definitely added to the story, but only to some degree. And who am I kidding? I just really don't like the word "cunt". No matter how much people try to reclaim that word, it's not there yet and it still sounds very offensive.
Like I said before, I have a pretty limited experience with the original John Carter novels, but I am familiar with ERB's other works. In some aspects, Jane Carver captured the world of ERB exceedingly well, namely in the world building, culture of this mysterious planet Waar and characters’ names. Just take Jae-En (as everyone calls Jane), Jae-yin, Wen-Jhai, Kedac-Zir, and Sai-Far. Then there are also the mysterious words which were equivalents to ERB's jeddack (I'm still not quite sure what this word means) like Aldhanshai, Aldhannan, Dhanan, Dhanshai and Dhan. I know I listed way more than just one word, but all these were present like the type of titles that ERB loved to use. Everyone (except Jane) were also very obsessed with honor, a topic that is much present in ERB works too, sometimes to the ridiculous degree. Kudos to Nathan Long for bringing attention to that, because this is one of the bigger issues I have with ERB's works. Without going on a very long tangent, let’s just say I believe that a woman's life is more important than her "honor" and while I understand that ERB's books were written at a different time, as a modern woman I don't want to be defined by my “honor” or lack of it.
I had trouble remembering all the names and terms, and so did Jane, so she proceeded to give everyone she meets some clever nicknames like Queenie, Kitten and Handsome, then Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Pretty much everyone got a nickname in the story, and that was just fine with me. Nathan Long was able to show some insight in Jane's way of thinking, which only added to her character.
I also liked the book because for once I was able to relate to the character. Sure I'm no 6ft biker chic, but Jane voiced a lot of thoughts in regards to women treatment in ERB's worlds that I've always had. She also didn't put up with the society rules, but instead tried to understand them and in some aspects either going along or completely disregarding them.
There was a romance present, but it definitely took a step back in favor of action-adventure. That was ok with me, because it worked very well for Jane. Had she been love struck and focused too much on romance, I wouldn't have liked her as much. For her, being a no-nonsense about romance in her life worked very well because that's the type of person she is. I have to confess, I was dreading her ending up with Sai. It was clear that there will be someone for her, but Sai was just so... Sai. Idealistic, head-strong, stupid at time and frequently incapable of taking care of himself, I really wanted to slap him most of the time (as I think Jane wanted too).
Overall, I think Jane Carver of Waar is a great book and definitely worth reading for action-adventure-fantasy fans. I think that hardcore Barsoom fans might or will find many things not to their liking, but as I said before, I'm no fan so I loved this book. I can certainly understand how hardcore fans feel, since I'm a hardcore Tarzan fan and don't take lightly to any pastiches of Tarzan.
P.S. Jane Carver of Waar had sky pirates too, and those are always great in my book!
Here are some of the great quotes from the book:
"You could tell he was the leader. One, 'cause his guys ducked their heads whenever he gave an order, and two, 'cause his shit was flashier; zigzag designs on his cloak, gold sleeve armor instead of bronze, jewels all over his sword."
"She was your standard-issue hot babe, except in purple."
"Even screaming and trying to kick his teeth in, I could see she had the goods: pin-up body in a tiny yellow bikini-top and loin-cloth outfit, long black hair, pouty lips. The whole package in a handy, carry-on size."
"I hadn't realized it 'till then, but I did hunger. I hungered like dammit."
"I Hranan of Hirrarah tribe. That's my daughter, Murrah. You say Hur-Hranan and Hur-Murrah when speak, hin?"
"I generally try to avoid fights, not because I don't like them, more because I find it kind of hard to stop once I get going."
"I know the sort of slave they will make of me. I'll not do it! I shall kill myself before they take my honor."
"Has it ever occurred to you that sometimes us damsels in distress don't need saving?"
"A crew man swung at me. I tried to roll and kick. I have no idea if I connected, but the fact that I'm telling this story proves he missed."
The only experience I have with John Carter is through the movie and whatever discussions I hear, so you could say I barely know anything about him. Yet I absolutely enjoyed Jane Carver! From the moment I started reading it, I couldn't put it down and stop. I loved Jane because of her no nonsense outlook on life and great one liners. Actually, she was just really really entertaining throughout the whole book, not slowing down even a moment. Even when her future was bleak, she was still very entertaining.
I didn't mind her language either. To me it just fit right in with the rest of her personality, so it didn't seem out of place. I do have a 'but' though. In the middle of the book it just got a tad too vulgar for my tastes. It wasn't so much the language, which is part of it, but more like that part could have been probably toned down a little? Because at that moment, the book went from a fun light fantasy to something that was just too much fixated on sex. Yes, sexual tension definitely added to the story, but only to some degree. And who am I kidding? I just really don't like the word "cunt". No matter how much people try to reclaim that word, it's not there yet and it still sounds very offensive.
Like I said before, I have a pretty limited experience with the original John Carter novels, but I am familiar with ERB's other works. In some aspects, Jane Carver captured the world of ERB exceedingly well, namely in the world building, culture of this mysterious planet Waar and characters’ names. Just take Jae-En (as everyone calls Jane), Jae-yin, Wen-Jhai, Kedac-Zir, and Sai-Far. Then there are also the mysterious words which were equivalents to ERB's jeddack (I'm still not quite sure what this word means) like Aldhanshai, Aldhannan, Dhanan, Dhanshai and Dhan. I know I listed way more than just one word, but all these were present like the type of titles that ERB loved to use. Everyone (except Jane) were also very obsessed with honor, a topic that is much present in ERB works too, sometimes to the ridiculous degree. Kudos to Nathan Long for bringing attention to that, because this is one of the bigger issues I have with ERB's works. Without going on a very long tangent, let’s just say I believe that a woman's life is more important than her "honor" and while I understand that ERB's books were written at a different time, as a modern woman I don't want to be defined by my “honor” or lack of it.
I had trouble remembering all the names and terms, and so did Jane, so she proceeded to give everyone she meets some clever nicknames like Queenie, Kitten and Handsome, then Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Pretty much everyone got a nickname in the story, and that was just fine with me. Nathan Long was able to show some insight in Jane's way of thinking, which only added to her character.
I also liked the book because for once I was able to relate to the character. Sure I'm no 6ft biker chic, but Jane voiced a lot of thoughts in regards to women treatment in ERB's worlds that I've always had. She also didn't put up with the society rules, but instead tried to understand them and in some aspects either going along or completely disregarding them.
There was a romance present, but it definitely took a step back in favor of action-adventure. That was ok with me, because it worked very well for Jane. Had she been love struck and focused too much on romance, I wouldn't have liked her as much. For her, being a no-nonsense about romance in her life worked very well because that's the type of person she is. I have to confess, I was dreading her ending up with Sai. It was clear that there will be someone for her, but Sai was just so... Sai. Idealistic, head-strong, stupid at time and frequently incapable of taking care of himself, I really wanted to slap him most of the time (as I think Jane wanted too).
Overall, I think Jane Carver of Waar is a great book and definitely worth reading for action-adventure-fantasy fans. I think that hardcore Barsoom fans might or will find many things not to their liking, but as I said before, I'm no fan so I loved this book. I can certainly understand how hardcore fans feel, since I'm a hardcore Tarzan fan and don't take lightly to any pastiches of Tarzan.
P.S. Jane Carver of Waar had sky pirates too, and those are always great in my book!
Here are some of the great quotes from the book:
"You could tell he was the leader. One, 'cause his guys ducked their heads whenever he gave an order, and two, 'cause his shit was flashier; zigzag designs on his cloak, gold sleeve armor instead of bronze, jewels all over his sword."
"She was your standard-issue hot babe, except in purple."
"Even screaming and trying to kick his teeth in, I could see she had the goods: pin-up body in a tiny yellow bikini-top and loin-cloth outfit, long black hair, pouty lips. The whole package in a handy, carry-on size."
"I hadn't realized it 'till then, but I did hunger. I hungered like dammit."
"I Hranan of Hirrarah tribe. That's my daughter, Murrah. You say Hur-Hranan and Hur-Murrah when speak, hin?"
"I generally try to avoid fights, not because I don't like them, more because I find it kind of hard to stop once I get going."
"I know the sort of slave they will make of me. I'll not do it! I shall kill myself before they take my honor."
"Has it ever occurred to you that sometimes us damsels in distress don't need saving?"
"A crew man swung at me. I tried to roll and kick. I have no idea if I connected, but the fact that I'm telling this story proves he missed."
October 27, 2014
Ex-Airborne Ranger Jane Carver, a "bad-ass biker chick," has a reform-school past, a two-strike prison record, and a problem with authority. She has sent Hollywood screenwriter Jason Long her true story on cassette tapes, offering to let him publish it and split any profits 50-50. Long tells us that Jane (not her real name) is about 6'2" with broad shoulders and "rugged good looks." Her story begins when she accidentally kills a sexually harassing jerk and, while fleeing the police, hides in a cave, touches a strange artifact, and is teleported to another world, aptly named Waar, populated as it is by fearsome predators and bellicose humanoids. Witnessing a massacre perpetrated by one faction of purple people on another, she befriends the survivor, Sai-Far, whose betrothed Wen-Jhai, daughter of the ruler of Ora, the greatest nation on Waar, has just been bride-napped by a powerful rival, Kedac-Zir. Thus begins Jane's pulpy adventure, involving "savage" four-armed, lizard-tailed, dread-locked tiger-centaurs, "civilized," purple-skinned, hyphen-named people, and a non-stop series of raids, brawls, duels, death matches, battles, disguises, pursuits, captures, incarcerations, enslavements, entertainments, amorous advances, romance counselings, and more as she tries to help the gormless and spineless Sai reunite with his true love so he may marry her so that her father may grant Jane access to another artifact with which to return to earth where she believes she wants to be.
Needless to say, Long is affectionately riffing on Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter. Both A Princess of Mars (1917) and Jane Carver of Waar (2012) begin with the reality-claiming conceit that the heroes have given their first person stories to the authors. Both heroes wake up naked on an alien world where they have super strength and jumping ability due to earth's stronger gravity. Both encounter exotic and dangerous flora and fauna and bad organized religions. Both catalyze Big Events. Both become caught up in page-turning action that devolves into absurdity if you catch your breath and coldly examine it. (The frenetic fun of Long's book is signaled by the one-word exclamation-marked titles of the chapters, like "Hunted!" "Monsters!" and "Captives!")
That said, Long is not rewriting A Princess of Mars with a female lead. For one thing, he avoids what was one of the most interesting parts of John Carter's life on Barsoom (learning the local language) by having the artifact that transports Jane to Waar automatically make her fluent in Sai's tongue. Unlike John Carter, Jane adventures not to win her own true love but to help another person win his. For that matter, while John Carter is heterosexual, Jane is a "switch hitter," and Long explores gender and sexuality more than Burroughs. Although Burroughs seems preoccupied with race (red, black, white, yellow, and green Martians), he elides the vile nature of slavery (John Carter having been on earth the "good" master of white myth beloved by his slaves), while Long explores it. And Jane (at first) has a humane reaction to killing, unlike John Carter.
The biggest difference between Burroughs/Carter and Long/Carver lies in their writing styles. The "swamp trash country girl" Jane has a cruder and more colloquial voice than John Carter, one that comically jars with the "elegant" speech of the local nobles. Jane: "I just saved your life, pal. I'll talk to you anyway I damn well please." Sai: "Tease me not, tormentor." Long also inundates Jane's narration with American pop culture references, especially similes, as in "It looked like the inside of Liberace's brain with Elvis doing the catering." Jane similarly alludes to Ty-D-Bol, the Jolly Green Giant (twice!), Angeline Jolie, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Bond, Luke Skywalker, Frankenstein, Spider-Man, Porky Pig, Wile E. Coyote, Xena, Hulk Hogan, Justin Beiber, Elton John, Arkansas jail cells, Johnny Cochrane, Andre Agassi, Mark McGwire (twice!), the Packers (twice!), linebackers (thrice!), cheerleaders, CIA cover-ups, Larry Flynt, and more, with the result that Long's novel seems very much of its culture and era, while Burroughs' work, lacking such allusions, feels more universal and timeless. (Surprisingly, she never compares anything to John Carter.)
Some references/similes seem neat: "The silver of the rooftops against the deep black of the alleys made it all look like some huge, cubist black-velvet painting." Some seem lame: "It was as beautiful as a movie." Some seem more Long than Jane, e.g., vintage references to the likes of Steve Reeves, Clark Gable, Mae West, Heckle and Jeckle, and '50s hotrod magazines and coarse and sexist references like, "I was sweating like a whore on dollar day." Jane's language is much raunchier than John Carter's, as with "Where the fuck have you dumped me now, you fucking fucks?" Given her character, that's understandable, but at times I felt that when Long's female characters talk about sex they sound like male fantasies of women rather than like real women. Jane describes light and graphic porno tableaux and often feels horny, and a female pirate captain says, "Right now I need a fat cock to fill my cunt and empty my brain," while a noble woman says, "Oh yes! Harder! Don't stop! By the Seven, don't stop!" Finally, the problem is that the many pop culture references decrease the exotic experience of another world and its alien culture by making them too vividly recall ours.
Jane Carver of Waar (2012) is a fun, guilty pleasure that I'd only recommend to fans of the John Carter books or of female fantasy/sf characters who kick ass and talk dirty.
Needless to say, Long is affectionately riffing on Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter. Both A Princess of Mars (1917) and Jane Carver of Waar (2012) begin with the reality-claiming conceit that the heroes have given their first person stories to the authors. Both heroes wake up naked on an alien world where they have super strength and jumping ability due to earth's stronger gravity. Both encounter exotic and dangerous flora and fauna and bad organized religions. Both catalyze Big Events. Both become caught up in page-turning action that devolves into absurdity if you catch your breath and coldly examine it. (The frenetic fun of Long's book is signaled by the one-word exclamation-marked titles of the chapters, like "Hunted!" "Monsters!" and "Captives!")
That said, Long is not rewriting A Princess of Mars with a female lead. For one thing, he avoids what was one of the most interesting parts of John Carter's life on Barsoom (learning the local language) by having the artifact that transports Jane to Waar automatically make her fluent in Sai's tongue. Unlike John Carter, Jane adventures not to win her own true love but to help another person win his. For that matter, while John Carter is heterosexual, Jane is a "switch hitter," and Long explores gender and sexuality more than Burroughs. Although Burroughs seems preoccupied with race (red, black, white, yellow, and green Martians), he elides the vile nature of slavery (John Carter having been on earth the "good" master of white myth beloved by his slaves), while Long explores it. And Jane (at first) has a humane reaction to killing, unlike John Carter.
The biggest difference between Burroughs/Carter and Long/Carver lies in their writing styles. The "swamp trash country girl" Jane has a cruder and more colloquial voice than John Carter, one that comically jars with the "elegant" speech of the local nobles. Jane: "I just saved your life, pal. I'll talk to you anyway I damn well please." Sai: "Tease me not, tormentor." Long also inundates Jane's narration with American pop culture references, especially similes, as in "It looked like the inside of Liberace's brain with Elvis doing the catering." Jane similarly alludes to Ty-D-Bol, the Jolly Green Giant (twice!), Angeline Jolie, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Bond, Luke Skywalker, Frankenstein, Spider-Man, Porky Pig, Wile E. Coyote, Xena, Hulk Hogan, Justin Beiber, Elton John, Arkansas jail cells, Johnny Cochrane, Andre Agassi, Mark McGwire (twice!), the Packers (twice!), linebackers (thrice!), cheerleaders, CIA cover-ups, Larry Flynt, and more, with the result that Long's novel seems very much of its culture and era, while Burroughs' work, lacking such allusions, feels more universal and timeless. (Surprisingly, she never compares anything to John Carter.)
Some references/similes seem neat: "The silver of the rooftops against the deep black of the alleys made it all look like some huge, cubist black-velvet painting." Some seem lame: "It was as beautiful as a movie." Some seem more Long than Jane, e.g., vintage references to the likes of Steve Reeves, Clark Gable, Mae West, Heckle and Jeckle, and '50s hotrod magazines and coarse and sexist references like, "I was sweating like a whore on dollar day." Jane's language is much raunchier than John Carter's, as with "Where the fuck have you dumped me now, you fucking fucks?" Given her character, that's understandable, but at times I felt that when Long's female characters talk about sex they sound like male fantasies of women rather than like real women. Jane describes light and graphic porno tableaux and often feels horny, and a female pirate captain says, "Right now I need a fat cock to fill my cunt and empty my brain," while a noble woman says, "Oh yes! Harder! Don't stop! By the Seven, don't stop!" Finally, the problem is that the many pop culture references decrease the exotic experience of another world and its alien culture by making them too vividly recall ours.
Jane Carver of Waar (2012) is a fun, guilty pleasure that I'd only recommend to fans of the John Carter books or of female fantasy/sf characters who kick ass and talk dirty.
December 9, 2017
The book is blurbed as a feminist version of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Mars” series. It’s that kind of feminist story where you write the protagonist as a man but change their name and pronouns. Jane fights like a man, shrugs off injuries like a man, lusts like a man (for men and women). She rails against her alien world’s misogyny but only because that world is just as misogynist as ERB’s Mars.
The plot was entertaining enough though I started to chafe at all the similes. It seems as if there’s one in every sentence. Colorful, original similes, but way too many of them.
If you want a nostalgic glow recalling ERB’s books, give this a try.
The plot was entertaining enough though I started to chafe at all the similes. It seems as if there’s one in every sentence. Colorful, original similes, but way too many of them.
If you want a nostalgic glow recalling ERB’s books, give this a try.
October 29, 2020
Really a 3.5 star book but I just could not bring myself to round it up to 4 stars. It is not bad book but by no means a really good book. The book proceeds at a rip roaring pace but luck/coincidence plays too much of part for me, the supporting cast are a bit weak to say the least , also the attitudes towards gays and women did not sit real well with me, even in a fantasy book
If you are looking for a swashbuckling adventure with likable m/c this is the book for you, at least it is better than John Carter of Mars
If you are looking for a swashbuckling adventure with likable m/c this is the book for you, at least it is better than John Carter of Mars
January 19, 2021
This is just a fantastic book throughout. Not some kind of masterpiece, by any means imaginable. But what it is, is entertaining. I didn't feel like I had to have read 'a princess of mars', which if you didn't know, is what this book is heavily based on (stolen from...). The main character is likeable, makes relatively smart choices (all things considered). And there's even enough sexual tension to have an erotica author like myself at the edge of her seat :p
December 13, 2017
Not a serious read, but surprisingly enjoyable with a protagonist I can really, truly relate to :)
I need to get back to Waar and read the dang sequel! It's been years, but this is a light read that I cannot imagine forgetting. My mind wanders back to it often.
I need to get back to Waar and read the dang sequel! It's been years, but this is a light read that I cannot imagine forgetting. My mind wanders back to it often.
July 1, 2018
This is actually more adventure than fantasy, but I loved the audiobook! Not appropriate for a high schooler (some brief sex scenes), but otherwise, swashbuckling with plenty of snark and one liners.
August 12, 2020
I enjoyed the book. I listened to the Audible version narrated by Dina Pearlman and thought she was the perfect complement to the story. She really brought an interesting story to life and kept reminding me of some of the friends my older sister had when we were younger.
May 5, 2017
Super entertaining. A modern twist on John Carver of Mars stories. Lots of profanity (befitting the character) and sexuality. The audiobook is great.
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